Parkinson's Drugs Again Linked to Compulsive Disorders

Michael W. Jakowec, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Southern California, said that "these compulsive disorders reflect clinical challenges faced in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, especially in the context of dopamine-replacement strategies."

While dopamine is necessary for control of the aspects of motor control, it also plays an important role in other regions of the brain, particularly those involved in reward systems, Jakowec explained.

"There are a number of behaviors we are subject to that are a balance between reward-reinforcement-aversion," Jakowec said. "A dysfunction in the reward system can lead to an imbalance such that compulsive behaviors emerge."

It is very similar to drug addiction, where drug dependence is reflected in dopamine dysfunction, Jakowec said.

"So, it is not surprising that there are behavior similarities between these disorders," Jakowec said. "What we learn in Parkinson's disease with respect to non-motor features of the disorders will also impact similar behaviors in other disorders including drug addiction and compulsive disorders."

More information

For more about Parkinson's disease, visit the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

SOURCES: Daniel Weintraub, M.D., assistant professor, psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Michael W. Jakowec, Ph.D., assistant professor, neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; June 25, 2008, presentation, Movement Disorder Society's 12th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Chicago